Method and apparatus for making a variegated frozen confection



July 28, 1953 F. l.. HAcKMANN 2,646,757 METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MAKING A VARIEGATED FROZEN CONFECTION Filed Nov. 18, 1946 INVENTOR. Fien/vk A. Hack/MMV BY, f*

Patented July 28, 1953 METHOD AND APPARATUSr FOR MAKING A VARIEGATED FROZEN CONFECTION Frank L. Hackmann, Rochester, Minn.

Application November 18, 1946, Serial No. 710,470

This invention relatesgto a method yand apparatus for making a variegated frozen confection.

The general object of this invention is to provide means for producing an improved confection, such as ice cream, sherbet, custard, or the' like, which has visible particles of substantial length of different flavor, and preferably of different color characteristics, distributed throughout the mass. 1

A more particular object is to provide a method and apparatus for carrying it out, in which one or more ribbons or ribbon-like streams of I'iavoring -material introduced into a flowing stream of a semi-frozen confection are severed and dispersed in said confection While bending the stream, whereby a better dispersion of the separated particles is Iobtained than has been heretofore thought possible.

Another obj ect is to provide apparatus for making a variegated confection which is of simple construction and may readily be taken apart fer cleaning.

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure l is a view in vertical section of apparatusembodying the present invention, drawn to a plane which includes the axes of substantially vertical and horizontal passages.

' Figure 2 is a sectional View taken along the line 2--2 of Figure l.

Figure 3 is a sectional view taken along the line 3--3 of Figure 4.

Figure 4 is a view, in perspective, showing separated members of a modified tube for chilling and delivering flavoring material into the body of th confection.`

Like parts are identified by the same reference characters throughout the several Views.

By my improved method, I deliver in one direction a frozen plastic comestible containing one or more ribbon-like streams of another material, preferably streams of flavoring materials of different colors and flavor characteristics. I then bend the combined streams, after allowing an interval of heat transfer sufficient to bring them intov temperature equilibrium, v'and while the streams are bending IA sever the ribbon-like streams 'into Vdiscrete particles of substantial length and'mix vthem with the mainstream of frozen plastic vcomestible until they are thorough# ly dispersedthroughout the mass, whilemaintaining a 4 sucientlylow temperature to keep the particles sufficiently frozen to prevent them from disintegrafing- Y IAny' suitable mechanical vmeans may be employed for carrying out theV above described Claims. (Cl. 107-1) method. One embodiment of such means is illustrated in the drawings and described as follows.

A semi-frozen, plastic comestible I0, as an ice cream confectionery product, is caused to -low through a supply tube II into the upper portion of a vertical'infeeding passage I2. The comestible flows downwardly through the passage I2 into a cylindrical mixing chamberY I4 preferably leading at'right angles to passage I2 to a point of delivery I5. The otherend'of chamber I4 is closed and serves to mountl the shaft I6 of an agitator having mixing paddles or blades I'I.

The closed end of tube I4 is threaded at I8 and carries `a collar I 9 which engages a head piece 20 onfa bearing 2| vin which the shaft member I6, is mounted. The head piece 20 seats against the end of chamber I to close the same. A thrust collar 22 is positioned on theshaft adjacent the bearing 2l and --is secured in position by means of screw'23. Shaft It is provided at its outer end with a pulley 24 secured to the shaft by means of a screw 25, the pulley and thrust collar acting t0 prevent axial displacement of the shaft. Inthe construction as illustrated, a belt 26 on the pulleyis connected with a suitable power source (not shown) for driving shaft I6, but any other driving connection may be substituted.

l An apertured plate 2 rests on the top of passage I 2, and supported above the plate 2'I is a reservoir 28 for flavoring material 30 such, for example, as chocolate syrup or the like, which is to be introduced into the comestible. Plate 2'I and the reservoir 28 are secured in position by means of va collar 3l which threadedly engages the upper pcrtion ofthe passage I 2, the collar having an inwardlyy directed flange 32 which seats against a shoulder 33 on reservoir 28. VSuspended within the apertures in plate 2l are depending feed tubes et which deliver the flavoring material 3? downwardly in the passage I2 to a point of release inthe iiowing comestible below the level of its infeeding tube II. In this mannerthe tubes are in heat transfer relation with the frozen comestible before the avoring material is first discharged into the comestible. The tubes Sil are provide at their upper ends with outwardly directedilanges 35 which rest on the upper surface of plate 27 to support these members in a suspended position. Y Y

In the formof device illustrated in Figs. 1 and 3 the tubes 34 are shown as of one piece construction. But in Fig-4 I have illustrated a tube *composedof semi-cylindrical members 36 and ,431 having upper end anses 35 whereby the mem'- bers 36 and 31 may be assembled to form a tube suspended in any of the apertures in plate 21. This split type of tube is preferred, since it is easier to clean.

The flavoring material ingredient employed will normally be in a cold fluid, or semi-plastic state when first discharged into the comestible to preclude heat shock and shattering of the flavoring material on iirst contact with the frozen comestible. Furthermore, the discharge into the frozen comestible of relatively cool flavoring material precludes crystallization of sugar in the comes-v tible adjacent the injected {flavor-ingY material which ordinarily is a result of heatjshock and which otherwise would cause what are known as spines to appear 'about the injected fia'vorin-g. material. The elimination. of spines smoothes and improves the texture of the final frozen product. Thereupon it quickly attains la plasticity generally corresponding to that of the comestible, a 4condition which is maintained until the refrigerated product is consumed. Further, the flavoring ingredient may have a color contrasts with that of the comestible, the resulting variegated product having an attractive appearance.

If desired, the reservoir may -be partitioned as indicated at 49. This partition, which is preferably made removable to facilitate cleaning the apparatus, subdivides the space above the tubes 34 and makes it possible to feed diiferent flavoring materials, or materials of differing color, through the respective tubes. By multiplying theY number of tubes and partitions, flavoring materials of any desired number of colors or avors may bel separately delivered into the comestible.

In using the apparatus described aboveY both the comestible and the l-'avoring ingredient may be fed 'continuously through the device, the flavoring material being- -dischar'ged from thetubes 34 in what may beA termed ribbon form. The final variegated product is likewise discharged in a continuous manne-r from thev open end l of rmixing chamber lfd, the ribbons of avoring material having lbeen broken up into homogeneous segmentsand dispersed through the comestible as the mixture passes through the mixing charnber i4.

It will be observed that as the comestible with itsy contained ribbons of flavori-ng ingredient leaves the. passage i2 it is travelling obl-iquely across the chamber I4 when first presented to the cutting faction of the blades I1. carried by the .rotating shaft -I-B; This manner of .presentation to the :blades is important since a bet-ter distribution of the .resulting segments 38 of Yiiavoring ingredient is thereby obtained.

It is also an important feature of the vpresent invention. that the means for mounting and .rotating shaft H5 are offset with respect to the passage L2. With other forms of apparatus heretofore .provided `'for making a variegated ice cream product, .the '-agitating `means has been vincorporated` in ione 'fashion or another in the `same tube as that which carried the conduit means for the avoningingredient, i. e., in a member corresponding with passage l2. Apparatus of this earlier type, addition to being Imore -complex, was less easily assembled and disassembled forv cleaning purposes. With the present apparatus, all surfaces. -of the component Vparts .are readily accessible,` andthe apparatus may therefore be easily maintained in Ia .sanitary condition.

'Ilhe variegated confectionery product produced by the apparatus described above is char-i acterized by an even distribution throughout the mixture of relatively large particles, or segments, of the flavoring ingredient. Y

The passage l2 and cylinder I4, taken together, comprise virtually a continuous bent conduit with a straight infeeding end wherein the streams of ribbon-like iiavoring material may be incorporated, and with rotary ribbon-severing and mixing blades operative in the bending streams.

I claim:

1. In the manufacture of a frozen comestible i-nwhich discrete particles of a ribbonlike stream initially enveloped in a surrounding stream are to be distributed'Y throughout material of the surrounding stream, the method of effecting such distribution which includes bending the axis of the flowing inner and outer streams and successively displacing portions of the combined streams transversely of the yplane beginning within the region in which the bending occurs whereby the combined effect of the bending and the transverse displacement is to cut up the inner ribbonli-ke stream into discrete particles and to distribute such particles throughout the enveloping stream.

2. A method of making a frozen confection which consists in enveloping a owing stream of a first material in a flowing stream of a second materia-l, at least the second material being a substantially frozen plastic comestible, turning the axis of the combined streams in a given plane and cutting the enveloped stream into discrete parti-cles and distributing these throughout the enveloping stream by passing a succession of paddles through the combined stream beginning with the turning thereof and in a direction transverse to the plane in which turning occurs, whereby the effect of the paddles upon the turning streams is to displacediscrete particlespf the enveloped stream to various positions within the enveloping stream.

3. In a device of the character described, the combination with an elbow device lhaving angularly related inlet and outlet tubes between which material traversing the device must change direction, means for supplying through the inlet tube a combined stream including an enveloping plastic material and an enveloped materiaL together with an agitator mounted in the elbow device for rotation upon Van axis along' which said combined stream flows in chang-ing direction between the inlet and outlet tubes, and a paddle on the agitator at a point where the streams are changing direction, whereby the paddle moves transversely through the combined stream .as the stream changes direction, `said paddle displacing discrete portions of the enveloped material and distributing such portions within the enveloping material.

4'. The .device .of claim 3 in which the agitator comprises paddle elements projecting laterally therefrom and disposed obliquely acro'ssthe agitator whereby the ends of said paddle elements are offset axially ofthe agitator;

5. The device of yclaim 3 in which theinlet ytube is a lateral branch of the outlet tube, the latter having a portion adjacent the inlet branch provided with a bea-ring for the agitator and in which bearinfy the agitator is rotatable, the paddle comprising portions at opposite sides of the agitator which are offset axially of `the agitator to act lupon different portions of the stream as it changes direction.

6. The device of claim in which the inlet tube has a lateral connection provided with means for delivering therethrough the envelop- :ing plastic materia1 and has a smaller tube disposed within the inlet tube and provided with means for delivering therethrough the material "to be enveloped in the enveloping material as the latter moves through the inlet tube.

7. In a device of the character described the rcombination with a mixing tube having an open discharge end and a bearing at its opposite end, tof a shaft rotatably mounted in the bearing and projecting along said tube toward the discharge end thereof, paddle means mounted on the shaft, :a lateral branch opening into said mixing tube intermediate its ends and opposite said paddle means Where at least a portion of said paddle means will move transversely across material .flowing through the lateral branch and turning into said mixing tube for discharge therefrom, means for supplying a plastic frozen comestible through said branch, and meansfor introducing centrally into said branch to be enveloped by said plastic comestible a, flavoring material to move With the plastic comestible through the -branch into the mixing tube and to be cut by said paddle means into discrete particles distributed by said paddle means through the comestible as the latter is changing direction in passing from said branch into and through the mixing tube.

8. The device `of claim '7 in which the said lateral branch has a lateral inlet through which the frozen comestible is supplied by the comestible supplying means, the end of said branch remote from said tube having a small tube projecting therethrough and past the lateral inlet and constituting a part of the means for supplying the avoring material, the said small tube having a suicient length Within said lateral branch to permit substantial equalization of temperature of the fiavoring material with the frozen comestible.

9. The device of claim 8 in which said small tube comprises a plurality of semi-tubular seetions headed for engagement with the end of said ybranch and removable therefrom and separable from each other for cleaning.

10. In apparatus of the described class, means for feeding ribbon-like streams of material into a flowing stream of frozen comestible, comprising the combination with the Walls of a passage for such comestible, of a perforate cap for one end of such passage, an open ended split tube supported by the cap with one end in the cap perforation, the Walls of said tube lbeing held together by said cap, and a reservoir in communication with the sup-ported end of the tube, whereby the contents 0f the reservoir may -be fed into the frozen stream of comestible.

FRANK L. HACKMANN.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,083,275 Eberhard Jan. 6, 1914 1,778,537 Steely Oct. 14, 1930 2,190,226 Alexander Feb. 13, 1940 2,246,871 Balch June 24, 1941 2,313,060 Friedman Mar, 9, 1943 2,334,052 Wedin Nov. 9, 1943 2,389,084 Routh Nov. 13, 1945 

